Toronto has an overpopulation of unwanted cats. Several circumstances contribute to the intake of homeless cats at the City of Toronto's animal shelters.

Some cats are born into feral cat colonies and live long enough to reproduce before their life is cut short by the hardships of living on the street. Other unwanted cats are born in homes where cat owners don't spay/neuter their cats and allow them to breed.

Toronto Animal Services works hard to keep up with the high intake of cats into its shelters, and tries to find good outcomes for as many cats as possible. The public can help by adopting a kitten or cat.

June is Toronto Animal Services' Adopt-a-Shelter-Cat Month. From June 16 to 30, you can go home with a kitten or cat adopted from a Toronto shelter for only $25 (plus HST and a licence if applicable).

Cats breed in every season, but most typically in late winter or early spring. By May every year, the City's animal shelters are brimming with kittens. Contributing to this overpopulation is the fact that stray and homeless cats are more visible in the warm weather, so they tend to be brought to shelters in higher numbers in the spring and throughout the warmer months. These factors result in shelters that are either full or nearing capacity.

Several strategies are being used to stop the cycle of cat overpopulation. One of the strategies is promoting the adoption of cats from shelters. When people adopt a kitten or cat from Toronto Animal Services, they receive a pet that is microchipped, vaccinated and, most importantly, spayed/neutered so it cannot reproduce.

Kittens or cats adopted from sources other than a shelter frequently are not spayed/neutered and are sometimes allowed to reproduce at least once. Unfortunately, some cats never benefit from being spayed/neutered and continue to reproduce for years.

Toronto Animal Services needs the support of residents to help in providing a pet with a home this spring. For more information, call 311 or visit the Toronto Animal Services shelter in your neighbourhood.

Toronto is Canada's largest city and sixth largest government, and home to a diverse population of about 2.7 million people. Toronto's government is dedicated to delivering customer service excellence, creating a transparent and accountable government, reducing the size and cost of government and building a transportation city. For information on non-emergency City services and programs, Toronto residents, businesses and visitors can dial 311, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.